Rafael Nadal Beats Duje Ajdukovic in Three Sets

Rafael Nadal reached his first final since 2022 by defeating Duje Ajdukovic in three sets at the Swedish Open in Bastad. Nadal, who is 38, overcame the unseeded Croat with scores of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match lasting two hours and 12 minutes. This win marks Nadal’s return to a final since the 2022 French Open. In Sunday’s final, Nadal will face seventh seed Nuno Borges from Portugal. Borges advanced by defeating unseeded Thiago Agustin Tirante from Argentina 6-4, 6-3 in their semi-final.

Nadal praised Ajdukovic’s performance, noting, “It was a very tough match—my opponent has one of the best backhands I have played against.” He added that it was challenging to push Ajdukovic back but he managed to find a way to win. This final will be Nadal’s 131st tour final and his 72nd on clay. Nadal expressed satisfaction about returning to a final but acknowledged ongoing recovery from significant hip surgery almost a year ago. “I’m still in this process of recovering a lot of things that I lost,” he said.

Rafael Nadal was also scheduled to play in the men’s doubles semi-final with Casper Ruud but they withdrew to preserve Nadal’s energy for the singles final. As a result, Brazil’s Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos advance to the doubles final. Nadal was using the doubles as preparation for his partnership with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics.

In the singles match, Nadal saved all six break points he faced and was efficient on break points, converting every opportunity. Ajdukovic had ten break points but only converted five, which contributed to his defeat.